Two Important Updates to CO Workers Comp Rules for Doctors in 2015

June 12, 2015

As the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment (CDLE) continues to refine the workers compensation system in the state, it regularly makes changes and updates to the system.

For 2015, some of these updates directly impact the doctors who treat workers, and understanding these changes can be important for injured workers focused on their recovery and proceeding through the workers compensation claims’ process.

New Workers Compensation Rules for Doctors in 2015

Among some of the most notable changes affecting doctors who treat injured workers in Colorado in 2015 are that:

There is a new procedure for refusing to care for injured workers – Specifically, if a doctor refuses to provide care to an injured worker based on nonmedical reasons, that doctor is now required to:

Notify the injured worker and the insurance company within three (3) business days – This notification must be in writing and must be sent via certified mail with a return receipt requested.

Explain the reasons that care has been refused and the patient has been discharged

Offer to transmit the patient’s medical records to a new authorized doctor (upon an official request to do so).

There are more designated provider options from which injured workers can choose – In fact, as of April 2015, injured workers in Colorado can now select a physician from a list of four options (rather than two, as was the custom previously). However, the CDLE has also noted that “the designated provider list is determined by the number of physicians or corporate medical provides willing to treat an injured employee within thirty miles of the employer’s location.”

Here, it’s important to point out that the two changes discussed above are by no means the only updates to the Colorado workers compensation system in 2015. For additional info regarding 2015 system updates, click here.